New prospects suited up for first game with maroon and white Thursday night

Slater Koekkoek

Captain Slater Koekkoek, leading scorer Francis Menard and offensive juggernaut Alan Quine are out. Michael Clarke and Nick Czinder are in. That doesn't seem like a lot for in return for your three best players, but with Clarke and Czinder come a slew of high-round draft picks, including five second-round selections in the next five years.

Late Wednesday (Jan. 9) night, Koekkoek was shipped to the Spits for centre Clarke, the Sarnia Sting's second-round pick in 2014 and the Niagara IceDogs second-round selection in 2015, while Quine fetched the Bulls' second-round selections in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

In return for Menard, Brampton sent the Petes a third-round pick in 2014 and a sixth-round pick in 2015. Picks also came to the team earlier in the week via the Kitchener Rangers. With Czinder came an eighth-round selection in 2013 and a fourth-round pick in 2015 (from Oshawa).

"I want to come in here and contribute and be a bi

"At the end we felt that the draft picks were the best option," explains interim general manager Mike Oke.

"We can use those down the road for selection but we can also use them down the road to acquire players through trades."

The Petes were looking to add young prospects but as discussions unfolded leading up to Thursday's OHL trade deadline, the players available weren't necessarily the players that they had interest in.

"We have a lot of young guys that aren't playing full-time with the team right now. We felt that rather than bring other players in that we're going to grow with these younger players," he says.

Oke says the Petes have had interest in Clarke as far back as last season. The London native has recorded eight goals and 20 points this season after recording 15 goals and 36 points last season.

"It gives us someone with experience up the middle for the next couple of years," Oke says about Clarke, a fifth-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche this past June.

"They (Colorado) speak very highly of his skills."

Clarke heard about the trade late last night and made the five-hour trek to Peterborough Thursday morning to be in the lineup against the Rangers at the Memorial Centre.

"I am very excited," Clarke says.

"I want to come in here and contribute and be a big part of this team I think I am a complete player that can help this team win games."

Czinder says he didn't see the trade coming and that it's going to be weird playing against his former teammates when he takes to the ice with the Petes for the first time.

"I am excited to get things going here and I am willing to do whatever I have to help this team out. I've been fortunate enough to put up some points of late and hopefully I can keep that going," he says.

With the departure of Koekkoek, Derek Mathers was named team captain, while 2011 draft pick Cody Thompson has been recalled for the remainder of the season.